earticle

영어

This paper examines the students’ criminal and deviant behaviors including violence at the Papua New Guinea (PNG) state universities, and attempts to connect how young students are usually in conflict with both the social morals and the criminal laws of PNG. Using the author’s own observations of campus crime and deviance as a student for six years (1987-1992) at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and then as an academic for 15 years at both UPNG (1997-2001) and Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) (2007–current) plus relevant literature reviews and anecdotal evidences available through the various media channels, this paper presents an explicit accounts of the occurrence, character and magnitude of the student conflicts at the PNG state universities. In the discussion, the paper carefully draws attention to how the students at the state universities break social mores and state and university laws. The paper maintains that the student conflicts at the state universities are not only an isolated university problem but a product of a broader and complex socio-economic, cultural, and political dynamics in a rapidly evolving society. The state universities should learn to accept that student conflicts have existed on their campuses for many years and these problems cannot be eradicated overnight. However, the key point maintained throughout this discussion is that because human behaviors are flexible, students are capable and have the ability of changing their attitudes (mindsets) and behaviors responding to sets of strong rules and incentives. It is, therefore, concluded that the state universities need to carefully work towards developing a clear road-map that targets not only students’ behavioral problems but establish capacities that help students to change and shift their mindsets as well. At the core of this drive, a long-term positive institutional culture based on the key virtues of respect, tolerance, responsibility, and obedience to legitimate authority, is to be harnessed through collective, committed, and sustained efforts.